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Aviation History
1913
1913 - 0032.PDF
attracted his notice, and caused him to reconsider his decision to go to India. He would be more use, he thought, in England with his machine. And eventually he was able to get the necessary per mission from the Foreign Office to stay in England. It is a curious point that right up to this time the late Capt. Hamilton had not taken his certificate. He immediately set out to obtain it, and passed for his credentials on March 16th. The story goes on to tell how he had his machine, which was at Southampton, overhauled and reinforced ; how eventually he obtained his flying orders from the War Office and how he flew over to South Farnborough from the Beaulieu aerodrome, to which flying ground he had had his monoplane taken. This was the same machine—a 6o-h.p. Deperdussin—that he used for so long at Lark Hill, Salisbury Plain. He took his superior brevet on July i3ch, being the sixth to qualify. "On the 11th August my brother came home for the last time." ... *' It was during this visit that I asked him if he was at all afraid of deaih. He seemed quite surprised and replied 'Why should I be ?' It made me feel almost ashamed of having asked. Indeed why should he be ? There was no reason that could possibly cause him to fear. We little thought death was so near. I asked him what he thought came after this life, and he said he had no idea, except he was sure it was something better. And now he knows ! He had such a wonderfully beautiful mind." ® ® " Pat left us on 18th August with a light heart, perfect confidence, and no fear. His joy was in his duty, and he hoped he might help to demonstrate the use of aeroplanes in the manoeuvres. He laughingly remarked the last day, ' Now look out for machine No. 158, because that will be mine, and with any luck, perhaps even the King may hearmy name mentioned.' And, indeed, this came true in a way we little thought of." His last letter here ran : '* My dear Ethel. " Many thanks for yours. I am oft to Wallingford about 5.30 a.m. (September 3rd). The 100 Gnome-Dep. is going very strong. She is a wonderful machine, climbs like a rocket. Yours in haste. Love to all, << p » The machine he referred to was the one that Prevost had success fully flown in the Military Trials. Four days later, Capt. Hamilton and his passenger Lieut. Wyness-Stuart were killed on that machine, falling from 1,500 ft. near Graveley. For the machine on which he learnt to fly he had previously mentioned in a letter— " . . . I hope never to fly any other machine except a Deperdussin. They are absolutely marvellous." He never did fly any other machine. He met his end on that machine. But it was not the machine's fault, nor yet his own. So he went to his rest—a soldier and a man of whom we were always proud. And we are prouder still now we have read the little memoir his sister has given us. ® ® "20,000 KILOMETRES IM LUFTMEER." HELLMUTH HIRTH, the well-known German aviator, and winner of numerous flying competitions in the Fatherland, has recorded his experiences in the air in a book bearing the above title, which has just been published by Gustav Braunbeck g. m. b. H. Berlin W. 35. After an introductory autobiography, and a highly-interesting chapter of experiences as a pupil, and later as an instructor, in the art of flying, in the following eight chapters the author describes all the more important German flying events of the past two years in which he took a prominent part, and often proved to be the winner. Mr. Hirth has the rare gift of describing highly technical points in a very popular manner and in a language that is easily understood by anyone totally unacquainted with the subject. In the chapters which deal with what we should call the "adventures," the author proves himself a reconteur of no mean order. He tells his story in a sporting and a free-and-easy way, just as if he were telling it to a number of friends gathered around the fireside. Many and various are his stories, but each one holds you spell bound from start to finish. Not the least interesting point about Hirth's career is the fact, stated at the end 01 the first chapter, that it was in England that he first heard of actual details of flying, and while at Leicester he read of the first experiments of Santos Dumont, Farman and the Wright Brothers. Although written in German, the style of the book is so easy and plain that even those with only a superficial knowledge of the language should be able to read and enjoy it. A large number of photographic illustrations handled in a delightful manner, and a diagram of Hirth's machine—a Rumpler Taube monoplane—con siderably increase the reader's interest in the work. The price ot the book is 5 marks. Washed up by the Sea. AN echo of the sad catastrophe to Mr. Cecil Grace in December, 1910, is afforded by the news that a petrol tank, which is believed to have belonged to the machine he was flying, has been washed ashore at Ostend. THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT ORDER FOR BRITISH AEROPLANES.-One of the 80-h.p. Bristol monoplanes on the Mirafiori ground at Turin. On the extreme left is Mr. White Smith, Secretary of the British and Colonial Aeroplane Co., Ltd. j next to him, with muffler on, is the Chief of the Aviation Department in Milan; Plxton is just getting into the pilot's seat, and one of the Bristol mechanics is standing by the propeller. 32
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